Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gyeongju and Busan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeongju: $1,227 a month against $1,842 in Busan, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Gyeongju
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Gyeongju Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Busan
Learn more

Busan Living Index

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Gyeongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,227

/mo nomad

Busan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gyeongju and in Busan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Gyeongju and in Busan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,227 in Gyeongju versus $1,842 in Busan.

Gyeongju $1,227
Busan $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,008 in Gyeongju versus $3,019 in Busan.

Gyeongju $2,008
Busan $3,019

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,788 in Gyeongju versus $4,196 in Busan.

Gyeongju $2,788
Busan $4,196

Living in Gyeongju costs roughly 33% less than in Busan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gyeongju is 10% below, Busan is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.65 ₩10.3K

$7.69 ₩10.3K

-0.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.45 ₩66.4K

$49.41 ₩66.3K

0.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ₩8,864

$6.63 ₩8,907

-0.45%

Cappuccino

$3.05 ₩4,100

$3.68 ₩4,941

-17.12%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₩1,480

$1.86 ₩2,494

-40.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₩486

$1.39 ₩1,872

-74.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 ₩3,598

$3.73 ₩5,014

-28.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 ₩5,674

$4.41 ₩5,920

-4.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ₩3,023

$2.26 ₩3,033

-0.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ₩3,398

$3.25 ₩4,365

-22.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 ₩4,121

$3.11 ₩4,173

-1.29%

Eggs

$2.65 ₩3,561

$2.67 ₩3,583

-0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 ₩15.0K

$11.14 ₩15.0K

0.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 ₩14.1K

$10.70 ₩14.4K

-2.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.08 ₩25.6K

$24.98 ₩33.5K

-23.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.61 ₩6,197

$11.16 ₩15.0K

-58.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.69 ₩3,610

$3.59 ₩4,822

-25.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 ₩5,178

$8.17 ₩11.0K

-52.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.68 ₩4,942

$6.11 ₩8,199

-39.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.61 ₩3,510

$6.20 ₩8,324

-57.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 ₩3,062

$3.33 ₩4,466

-31.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 ₩3,007

$2.88 ₩3,870

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 ₩1,729

$1.29 ₩1,732

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 ₩4,452

$3.46 ₩4,643

-4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.13 ₩20.3K

$18.56 ₩24.9K

-18.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,552

$2.42 ₩3,248

-52.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ₩3,074

$3.59 ₩4,826

-36.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 ₩1,375

$1.15 ₩1,538

-11.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.6 ₩94.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 ₩4,001

$3.55 ₩4,769

-16.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₩1,044

$0.73 ₩986

6.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.95 ₩22.8K

$16.97 ₩22.8K

-0.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₩1,438

$1.42 ₩1,903

-24.65%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$40.1K ₩53.8M

$39.9K ₩53.6M

0.29%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.3K ₩44.7M

$33.9K ₩45.6M

-1.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$81.2 ₩109.0K

$206 ₩276.2K

-60.54%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.92 ₩48.2K

$36.67 ₩49.2K

-2.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.37 ₩36.7K

$27.39 ₩36.8K

-0.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₩74.0K

$51.6 ₩69.3K

6.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.94 ₩18.7K

$10.15 ₩13.6K

37.34%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 ₩14.9K

$11.88 ₩15.9K

-6.65%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$633 ₩850.3K

$638 ₩857.0K

-0.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K ₩29.6M

$22.3K ₩29.9M

-0.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.48 ₩59.7K

$104 ₩140.1K

-57.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.62 ₩30.4K

$65.1 ₩87.4K

-65.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 ₩125.0K

$92.8 ₩124.6K

0.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₩174.7K

$130 ₩174.6K

0.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ₩658.2K

$746 ₩1.0M

-34.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ₩475.9K

$583 ₩782.5K

-39.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 ₩1.6M

$2,151 ₩2.9M

-45.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$739 ₩992.8K

$1,450 ₩1.9M

-49.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,222 ₩9.7M

$8,485 ₩11.4M

-14.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,555 ₩7.5M

$3,272 ₩4.4M

69.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,898 ₩2.5M

$2,826 ₩3.8M

-32.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Gyeongju: October 25, 2026

Last update for Busan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Gyeongju

$364 29.7%

Busan

$489 26.6% 34.3% $125

Accommodation & Living

Gyeongju

$354 28.9%

Busan

$583 31.6% 64.4% $228

Eating Out

Gyeongju

$145 11.8%

Busan

$166 9% 14.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gyeongju

$144 11.8%

Busan

$270 14.7% 86.8% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Gyeongju

$131 10.7%

Busan

$177 9.6% 35.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Gyeongju

$77 6.3%

Busan

$75 4.1% 2.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Gyeongju

$11 * 0.9%

Busan

$82 4.5% 652% $71

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $490 in Gyeongju and $746 in Busan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Busan pays 49% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49 in Gyeongju vs $49 in Busan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $489 per month, with Gyeongju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gyeongju

🇰🇷 Busan

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

Same time as Gyeongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,156

3,586,079

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Gyeongju Busan 76 km

From you

Gyeongju
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Gyeongju vs Busan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gyeongju wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Busan. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gyeongju the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Gyeongju. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $490 in Gyeongju versus $746 in Busan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,227 per month in Gyeongju versus $1,842 in Busan – Gyeongju is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Busan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,227 in Gyeongju versus $1,842 in Busan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gyeongju but tight or insufficient in Busan. The gap between the two cities makes Gyeongju the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Safety-wise, Gyeongju and Busan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Gyeongju wins on affordability, Busan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.